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Ok so I wouldn’t say that I got horrible news. But I mean it’s another kink in my plans.

So back two weeks ago I emailed the Broadcasting Production head and asked about how I could get involved with them. The guy seemed very excited that I had reached out to them asking about information. So I sent my resume to the guy who he directed me to.

Well that guy called me today. He basically said, we’ll try to help you but it doesn’t look too good. We’ll keep you in mind. He gave me some leads to other places that I could apply to. He was a super nice guy but the news was a little disheartening. I just want to hold a camera for crying out loud. There was something about a union, but it was never specified which one exactly.

The point is, you can try and try and try and you might get bad news every time. Don’t lose hope or give up because of bad news. Bad news happens. Bad news may direct you to good news. I now have a few more places to send my resume and a new contact to add to my book. I also gained experience in talking to professional people. You can learn something from everything, even bad news.

While I am sad that things have to be the way they are right now, it’s ok. I love my job and getting to talk to so many different people. I am content with life for now. That’s all that matters.

It was a very exciting and fun time. Friends are extremely important in your quest for following your dreams. Surrounding yourself with a network of people that are going to support you helps you grow and gives you some extra courage to continue your quest. Having friends that support you is important for many reasons. Hopefully they are truthful with you. They will help guide you and may even help connect you, if it is at all possible. They encourage you and cheer you up. They laugh with you and are real with you. If they aren’t then they aren’t your friends.

This weekend’s tip is to keep yourself surrounded with supportive friends. They are great for encouragement and guidance. They will help and support you, each step of the way. Also, be sure to laugh and relax as much as possible. Life is too short to be miserable. That’s what friends are for, pick me ups, support, and fun.

Eventually, on your quest to reach your dream/ dream job, you have to face real life. Real life is hard. It can be really really hard.

My first set of bills started to come in yesterday. I sat down and started writing them, making sure I would have enough money. I have enough money, but barely. This means I will have to start dipping into my savings. Especially since I will have to start paying back my school loans in November. I don’t think that I am ready for all of this, but I’m going to have to be.

It’s not that I haven’t been searching for a job. I totally have. I have even been sending resumes everywhere, but it’s hard. Things will be better once I go through with my Part Time transfer. Hopefully in working at MK I will get to know more people who can help me reach my goal of management or entertainment work. For now, it’s a hard thing.

Best thing is to never give up. I am going to help out over at the club house and close for a few nights. That should get me some extra cash or a small break on my rent. I’m not sure yet, I have to go over and talk to them tomorrow. Always good to keep your head high and your sights long.

P.S. I went to a church today. It was cool, but small and that’s different from what I am used to. I am going to check out a different one next week and see which one I prefer.

So yesterday I was busy. I was busy remembering why I wanted to follow this dream in the first place. I took some time to visit the Magic Kingdom and to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Today I was just lazy. I hang out around the complex and had some very stimulating conversations in the clubhouse about Film and Government/Socialism. It was interesting. Apparently I did learn a lot in school.

But these two days have proved to be a good learning/stepping stone for me.

The first thing I learned was that it is good to remember why you started chasing your dream in the first place. I was able to see this during my time at the Magic Kingdom. Kids and adults were just amazed at what happens. Of course, you get those few people who are grumpy, mean, and rude, but for the most part everything just wanted to have an awesome time. If someone can put a smile on their faces, it makes me smile. As I like to say, I’m in the business of smiles. Also, Disney is in the Entertainment business. I LOVE entertaining people. It is so much fun and it brings so much joy to others.

One of my life goals is to be a part of something bigger than myself. Disney helps me do that, but I can’t work in attractions my entire life. I was meant to do more. I wish I could help Disney as a company remember that it all started with a dream. Disney is supposed to be in the business of Dreams and they seem to be forgetting that. We all forget about what business we are in sometimes.

I also learned that you can learn a LOT from others. If we all just took the time to listen to one another and to hear their point of view on things, we may find the answers to a lot of big questions. It is so awesome to have stimulating conversations. I am going to strive to have one every day.

So I haven’t heard anything from Mr. Ashe, the man I was told to send my resume to. I have decided to give it a week before emailing him again. But this lesson today is a good one. Discouragement.

I find that it is very easy to get discouraged. Now, more than ever, it is a good idea to teach ourselves to hold our heads high. Having and upbeat and positive attitude throughout your day, no matter what is going on, will help you have a positive attitude in all situations.

For example, today they asked me to come into work. Since I am broke and have lots of bills to pay I literally jumped out of bed, freshened up, packed lunch and headed to work. Now would be a good time to mention that I am sick with a nasty congestion. My voice comes and goes and I have coughing fits. It has made me tired and sometimes cranky. To put it simple, my couch and I have been good friends for the past few days. But I went to work anyway. I had to remind myself to stay positive and cheerful and so I did. Lots of other people were down, but I had already made up my mind to stay cheerful. Which is why the no response thing isn’t bothering me too much.

I have dedicated my night to watching youtube videos of my favorite Broadway singers, singing songs that you normally wouldn’t hear them sing.

Adam Pascal ~What I Did For Love

John Tartaglia ~ Disney Whore

etc.

I also got some cool news in the mail. I had sent away for information about Full Sail University. A University that specializes in show production, video production, film, video games, basically a school for creative arts and media. It is very interesting and I am considering going to see the campus. I am hoping that I can find a job that will help with tuition reimbursement and be able to go. It looks interesting.

I am dreading my bills coming in at the end of the week and having to pay them later this week. But this is life and this is life trying to make your dreams come true. It may mean living on the rough side for a bit, but I’m prepared.

Today is Day 2 in my 365 days of Following Your Dreams blog! An Amazing Series of events have happened to me.

As I have stated one of my passions is video production. I love the idea of entertaining people through videos. There’s something about creating a commercial that will catch people’s eyes or shooting an interview promoting a new film or TV show. I love being able to hold a camera and just record. It’s actually a lot of fun. I have a creative mind so it works.

Today, while I was at the outlets filling out applications for a part time job a thought occurred to me. Why not go over to Downtown Disney and try to apply at some of the restaurants there because they are not staffed through Disney. So I walked over and got the same response from most of the restaurants, “we’re not hiring right now.” I am beginning to resent that phrase. I decided to walk around and just enjoy the beginning of the afternoon before it got too hot. I was walking past Ghirardelli Chocolate when I was stopped. Then I noticed that I was stopped because there was filming going on. So I asked the man who had stopped me if this was something that occurred through Disney. He replied yes and he gave me the name of the production company and the name of the man in charge of the broadcast production area of Disney. I was Thrilled! I walked around for a little and then ran to my car, drove home (Happily singing Shania Twain’s UP) and emailed this man right away.

The response: They are always interested in part time cast members who have production knowledge. This made me extremely excited and I am off to send my resume to their Resource Manager.

Lesson: When you are feeling compelled about something, follow that feeling. It will most likely lead you to something that may change your course forever!

My name is Lauren and I graduated from Penn State University in May 2009. After earning my degree in Telecommunications (focus in Broadcast/Video production) and a fascinating minor in Theatre, I have begun the search for a “real life” career. After an entire summer of applying to small production companies who weren’t even looking for new hires, sending resumes to television stations that were laying off, and working long days at a local diner, I have decided to take things into my own hands and move to sunny Orlando, Florida.

WHY The Move? Yes, it is true that I didn’t have to pay nearly as much as I am paying now in rent while living with my parents and I had all the comforts of people I love and a nice home, but I didn’t have a job. I also wasn’t finding a bite, or rather a bite that I knew would make me happy. I would rather be happy starting out in my career life, then miserable. I moved to Orlando because of Walt Disney World. I had completed their College Program during the Fall of 2008 and was welcomed back as a seasonal employee this past summer. More importantly, I knew I would absolutely LOVE my job. It meant making sacrifices and they weren’t easy ones to make. I miss home very very much. Fall and Winter don’t exist here in Florida.

THE JOB: Why not start at entry level and work your way up? Well, I thought about that. I applied for some entry level jobs filing tapes at TV studios and got no reply. Now wait a minute, I was a great student who ended up with a 3.40 GPA (pretty good), I interned with WPSU Sports and the Big Ten Network and a small video production company, not to mention was an employee of the Walt Disney World Company. Why wasn’t I getting any interviews? Why was my field so hard to break into? And as a girl, too. How many women cameramen do you see? Exactly. Anyways, since I had done the College Program before, I knew I would love working for Disney again.

WHY Do i Love It? Because it’s fun. I get to wear silly looking costumes and make people’s day brighter. I get to play a role in something bigger than I am. I have the power to make magic happen and watch dreams come true. I have the best job in the world. Sure it pays next to nothing and I’m living alone in a place I cannot afford. Sure I am having to dig a little into my savings and eat less lavish food. Sure it’s HARD, but no one ever said it was going to be easy.

I decided to make this blog because not enough people follow their dreams. Too many of us settle for what is “ok” for us. We stop chasing when we are comfortable. Most people don’t like to face trying times. We are comfortable working in tiny cubicles at a job we hate because it allows us to have money. The world is all about money. I know this because the company I am working for has decided that money is more important than Magic. What this company doesn’t understand is that The Company itself was BUILT on Magic and Dreams. Companies lose sight of their goals too, because most companies lessen their product because it gives them more money.

My question to you is WHY? Why do we settle for less?

I’m not going to be able to make it more than a year working for dirt with no benefits. So we’ll give this a shot. I challenge you to follow me as I embark on a journey to follow my dreams. What are my dreams you may ask? I’m not entirely sure that I know. However, I do know that I like to entertain people. I love making people smile, I like to sing and dance and be crazy. I like watching people’s dreams come true and hope that my dreams come true as well. I know that I love Disney and would love to work for them in any way that I can. Which is why I am starting small. I also dream that I meet Prince Charming and have a family, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. My Dream is to be Successful doing what I love to do.

I hope along the way I can inspire you to somehow follow your dreams as well.